Employee Weaves Mats Made from Plastic Bags to Help Homeless
Sara Fields cares about every person who calls her during her shifts as a customer service rep for Avera Health Plans. Her concern for others continues when she’s done with work.
With help from her “work family” and her “real family,” she crafts discarded shopping bags into sturdy sleeping mats for the homeless. “I pray for the people while I make them,” said Fields. “I pray they realize their life matters, and that God cares about them.”
Fields said her prayers are based on Colossians 2:2-3, which says, in part:
"... that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of understanding the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ."
How Discarded Bags Become Something Valuable
It takes about 500 plastic bags to make a mat. Fields customizes each one with her family based on raw materials. Thicker bags make heavier mats, best for men. Lighter ones are good for women and children.
The idea came when her waste-removal service stopped accepting bags. So she looked for ways to recycle them and found some online. She saw groups were making mats like the ones she creates. The mats reduce impact on the environment while they resist moisture, lice and mites. Making them includes gathering bags, flattening and preparing them, then weaving or crocheting.
“My son crafted a wooden loom for me. They’re easy to make; anyone can do it,” she said. “When I make them, I pray, meditate and hope they make a little difference.” She uses the scraps from the bags as filler for other projects; nothing goes to waste.
“I’ve often thought of what else I’d be doing with the time,” she said. While she makes them, she can pray, sing and enjoy the satisfaction of creation. When she’s done, a concrete product is in her hands, one that can help people and the natural world. “It’s relaxing and rewarding.”
What Led Her to Help the Homeless – and Others
Fields’ motivation is rooted in compassion, but also in reducing environmental impact. “I don’t want to see bags in our rivers hurting birds and fish,” she said.
When she finished her first mats, she shared them with anyone. At times her, family cautioned her to be careful. “We would go to parks in Sioux Falls, and there were just so many people in need,” Fields said. “I wanted to do more.” She now goes to the Bishop Dudley House in Sioux Falls, so she can get mats to people who need them.
People would see the mats, touch them and realize their quality. “They couldn’t believe I was giving them away,” she added.
Connecting Volunteer Efforts to Her Day Job
Fields is a Sioux City, Iowa, native. She moved to Sioux Falls working in health insurance and joined Avera Health Plans in 2012. She’s a customer care representative, taking calls from people who need help.
No matter their need, Fields finds comfort in assisting customers. Some have simple questions, but others need compassionate patience. She makes sure every caller is cared for and heard clearly. Her passion for helping others is rooted in both her Avera work and the mat construction. Avera backs her on both fronts.
“My team at work has always been supportive, donating bags and letting more Avera locations know about it,” she said. “Yet we need more donations and more helpers,”
Avera offices around Sioux Falls, including the Avera Health Plans building, now collect bags. “The ministry of Jesus Christ is the ground floor of all we do,” she said. “I’m blessed to have this team support my efforts.”
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